character (KARE-ec-ter): a person who is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story, poem, or other literature. Characters are extremely important because they are the medium through which a reader interacts with a piece of literature. Every character has his or her own personality, which a creative author uses to assist in forming the plot of a story or creating a mood. The different attitudes, mannerisms, and even appearances of characters can greatly influence the other major elements in a literary work, such as theme, setting, and tone. With this understanding of the character, a reader can become more aware of other aspects of literature, such as symbolism, giving the reader a more complete understanding of the work. The character is one of the most important tools available to the author.
Using the definition above, characterize Sissy Jupe.
10 comments:
Sissy Jupe is a very interesting character in this novel. By utilizing Sissy as a character in his novel, Dickens creates the ultimate “showdown” between fact and fantasy. By doing so, Sissy is portrayed as stupid but in reality she seems to have more life experience than the others. Mr. Gradgrind, Mr. Bounderby, and the school are focused primarily on facts whereas Sissy is merely living in a fantasy world or at least to Mr. Gradgrind, she is.
Sissy seems to be a sweet, innocent, little girl who will do anything to please her father wishes. For this very reason Sissy agrees to live with Mr. Gradgrind and attend his school. This is seen in the quote, “'I shall never learn,' said Sissy. 'And the worst of all is that although my poor father wished me so much to learn, and although I am so anxious to learn because he wished me to, I am afraid I don't like it,'” (57). The mood that Dickens creates from this passage is that Sissy is very conflicted with how to approach her problem. Through this problem, the readers can relate to Sissy and I felt bad for her. Personally, through this passage, I started to really connect with Sissy's life and the hardships that she has had to endure. This constant struggle with school very much conflicts Sissy and contributes to the plot of the novel. Sissy continually struggles with these facts because her compassionate heart takes over and she sees not just the numbers but rather the problem. Like when she is asked about the homeless people in the city, Sissy immediately thinks about how awful it is for them instead of the cold- hard facts. In reality by only looking at the facts, I believe that one is cowardly because they are not doing anything and don't think about them. Whereas Sissy understands these problems and therefore struggles to stay afloat in this awful fact society. Sissy is Dickens “tool” to proclaim the importance of the harsh- reality instead of the easy facts.
Another aspect of Sissy is that she manages to turn Louisa from stony cold to affectionate. At first, Louisa seems to keep her distance from Sissy and tries to not speak with her. Sissy then accomplishes this task by telling Louisa the story of her father. By telling this horrible story, Dickens allows not only Louisa to feel for Sissy but also the reader. This is seen in the quote, “'I beg your pardon, sir, for being troublesome-but-have you had any letter yet about me?' … And when Mr. Gradgrind regularly answered, 'No, Jupe, nothing of the sort,' the trembling of Sissy's lip would be repeated in Louisa's face, and her eyes would follow Sissy with compassion to the door,” (61). Sissy's character and personality manages to sway Louisa's perspective on life. Mr. Gradgrind considers this hope a fantasy and says that if Sissy was raised with facts than she wouldn't always ask about the letter. Contrary enough, Louisa is as much entranced by this fantasy as Sissy is. This shows Sissy's remarkable relateability (I don't think this is a word but I can't think of the word that is should be... but I'll just smile and leave it) but also shows her street smarts. Although she lacks the knowledge of the facts, Sissy is rich in life experience and therefore in my opinion better suited for life. Sissy changes Louisa's opinions and beliefs through her emotional story. Her character truly changes the story and I believe will influence the plot to come in this novel.
Amanda F : )
I agree that Sissy is portrayed to be stupid through the eyes of Mr Bounderby and Mr Gradgrind. Sissy is more of a thinker and because she does not base her life on fact, Mr Bounderby and Mr. Gradgrind believe she is unintelligent.Mr. Grandgrind thinks she is not able to understand fact because of her up bringing. He states that the "circumstances of [her] early life were to unfavorable to the development of [her] reasoning.(88) This shows how Grandgrind believes Sissy was a character that was limited by her sorroundings, which explains why she is so unintelligent.
However, I think Mr Gradgrind really does like Sissy even though she is not "smart." On page 88, Mr Gradgrind tells Sissy that she is "an affectionate, earnest, good young woman-and-and we must make that do." If Gradgrind did not like her, he would have given up on her.Part of her like-ableness is the fact that Sissy does try hard to make everyone happy. The fact that she does try her hardest to succeed and make her father happy does make me feel bad for her, also. I feel like she has a good heart and is penalized for having her own thoughts.
I also feel bad for Sissy because she is so hopeful. Sissy hopes that her father will soon return and convinces herself that he will return. "I keep the nine oils ready for him, and I know he will come back," (60). If Sissy's father does not come back, Sissy will be heartbroken. I think Sissy is an easy character to feel bad for and I also think she is a likeable character because she tries hard to make her father and others happy.
I also think Sissy is vital to the plot based on her conversations with Louisa. However, I do not agree that Louisa was stony cold before her talks with Sissy, I think she just envied Sissy because Sissy was allowed to think and question, unlike Lousia. I think this is why Louisa questioned her so much about her father. Louisa was finaly able to question a fact without being penalized for it. This is essential to the plot because Louisa is finally going to be able to have someone to talk to and I think without realizing it, Sissy is going to change Louisa's mindset and bring her out of her factual world.
Samantha Hubley
Danielle Watkins
Understanding Sissy Jupe as a character is vital to Charles Dickens’ novel, Hard Times. A major theme encountered so far has been facts and the harsh reality of the world vs. wondering and feeling for others’ situations. Sissy would be categorized under the latter. She is very emotional and feels empathetic towards others. For example, Sissy is asked about the percentage of people who went to sea compared to those who either drowned or were burnt to death. Sissy tells Louisa that she answered nothing, “Nothing, Miss – to the relations and friends of the people who were killed” (57). The problem is, however, that Sissy thinks she will never learn, when, in my opinion, she is the smarter one. As Amanda and Sam said Mr. Gradgrind and Mr. Bounderby view Sissy as unintelligent and that she is a disappointment. I agree with Sam that Mr. Gradgrind does like something about her, but I think he doesn’t realize that what he likes about her is that she is compassionate. Gradgrind just can’t get past the facts.
Sissy is also very hopeful. She is sure her father will return and this gives something for her to hold onto, something to look forward to. The only reason she stays with the Gradgrinds is because she believes her father would want her to pursue an education, “The girl believed that her father had not deserted her; she lived in the faith that he would be made happier by her remaining where she was” (54).
As for her relationship with Louisa, Sissy is almost like an inspiration for Louisa. Louisa is fascinated by Sissy’s life story and is, for once, allowed to ask of these forbidden things. I agree with Sam that Louisa was jealous of Sissy and did not want to get in trouble as well, but by finding out more about Sissy, she was exposed to human feelings and emotion. As Amanda mentioned, Louisa became engrossed in feeling when Sissy asked if any letters for her father had arrived. However, I am concerned for Louisa in her choice of marrying Mr. Bounderby and hopefully Sissy will be able to break through the barrier that Louisa has built and hopefully make her understand what being human really is.
Caitlynn Wentworth
Sissy Jupe is one of the most exciting and enjoyable characters in the book. Sissy is fun-loving and has more character and personality than majority of the other characters. I have to agree with Amanda when she says that Sissy is "living in a fantasy world" rather than focusing on that "facts" that Gradgrind and Bounderby try so hard to pound into the children's heads. Because Sissy is so caught up on the fantasy world that her father gets to live in she is portrayed as incompetant to the other children. She is viewed as more dumb and is a larger target in the classroom.
The greatest characteristic of Sissy Jupe that I like is her hopefullness and positive outlook on life. She is determined to think that her father is going to come back. She has a hard time believing that he left her for no good reason. Sissy displays this positive attitude in the scene regarding the oil her father send her to get. "Leave the bottle, my dear; ith large to carry; it will be of no uthe to you now. Give it to me! No, no! she [Sissy] said, in another burst of tears. Oh no! Pray let me keep it for Father till he come back! He will want it when he comes back! (40). Sissy has a way with people. I agree with the previous girls that there must be something that Bounderby likes about her, or else he would have been so willing that night her father left her. As of right now we cannot see what is going to happen between Sissy Jupe and Bounderby, however, I'm sure selfish Bounderby has something planned. Sissy and Louisa relationship flourishes in this section of the book which helps Sissy bring Louisa into a better person. Overall, Sissy is my favorite character thus far!
The definition discusses characters as a tool to create a certain mood or getting a across a certain emotion. Sissy's is probably one of the easiest to characterize: her mood/emotion is hope. Put into the same dull, unimaginative, fact-driven life as Louisa, after being abandoned by her father, she continues to dream and imagine, defying the terrible machinery that is logical thought. Her spirit is hardly dampened even by the unimaginative environment, nor is it stifled by her inability to learn facts. Even before this, however, she was a beacon of hope and inspiration to her father, as shown in this passage: "'And you were his comfort through everything?'
She nodded, with the tears streaming down her face. "I hope so... I used to read to him to cheer his courage... They kept him, many times, from what did him real harm.'"(Dickens 58). She is inspiration to her father, even as he falls into despair. Her character is a symbol for continued hope, compassion, and imagination. Sissy commonly talks of her stories and those she told her father. It is in this way the spirit of human, and not machine, mentality is preserved in this story. I agree with Amanda when she said that Dickens is using Sissy to show a battle between fact and fantasy. She is, and she's winning, simply by the virtue of her continuing dream.
Stephanos "Danger" Bacon
Sissy Lupe has so far proved to be a very interesting character in the novel. She began as a poor, uneducated girl who was raised by her father and a surrogate family of circus performers. It is in this situation that we see her values and experience develop. Being poor and without much certainty in her life, she relies upon hope and the alternate reality that literature can provide for her and her father. When Mr. Gradgrind then adopts her, the world that she has come to know is completely turned on its head. No longer is optimism a valued characteristic, but instead trod upon as a needless fancy. Instead, Sissy is taught to value Fact above all other aspects of life. By the end of her stead with the Gradgrinds we see that although Mr. Gradgrind describes her as "extremely deficient in [her] facts" (88). Despite this, Mr. Gradgrind "really liked Sissy too well to have a contempt for her", and believed that although she had failed in her studies, she had done this through no fault of her own (89). This is important to note because it shows that Sissy was able to show Mr. Gradgrind, usually obsessed with only facts, that there was more to life than mere knowledge, and that hard work was in itself a skill to be valued.
Sissy Jupe is an essential character to have in this novel because she is unlike the others. Sissy is more focused on the "fantasy" than the facts. Mr. Bounderby and Mr.Gradgrind harp the importance of facts to Louisa and Tom and view imagination and wonder as a waste of time. Sissy however behaves on the contrary to their beliefs. Due to her actions of watching the circus and reading incredulous stories to her father she is perceived as unintelligent. On page 47 it says, "And what asked Mr.Gradgrind, in a still lower voice, 'did you read to your father,Jupe?' About the fairies,sir, and the dwarf, and the hunch-back and the genies..." These stories show to Mr. Gradgrind that she is unintelligent and needs to be reformed and better educated. I too feel sorry for Sissy because she is staying true to herself while a dull man, Mr.Gradgrind wants to change her. Sissy exposes Louisa to a different way of behaving and that benefits Louisa. Louisa has always been afraid to imagine because of the trouble she might get in with her father; but Sissy makes her feel more comfortable and sociable. I also think that Mr.Gradgrind is somewhat fond of Sissy because on page 88 he says, " Yes, I believe you have tried hard; I have observed you, and I can find no fault in that respect." Although Sissy did not become more intelligent she really tried in her studies in order to please Mr.Gradgrind. Even though she did not succeed he still appreciated her effort. This effort is a sign of how she was brought up because she never had it easy and always had to work hard. She may not have been book smart, but she was street smart. Sissy was a symbol of the other side of society and served as a link between the more elite class and the poorer class which was typical in Victorian writing. Sissy makes the novel interesting by providing a different point of view and perspective on issues. I think she will continue to have positive effects on the other, more strict characters in this novel.
Kate Sullivan
Mike Armanini
Sissy Jupe is the ultimate foil character to Gradgrind’s ideal of a life based upon facts. She is fanciful and dreams outside the worlds of Gradgrind and Bounderby, which causes them to label her as unintelligent compared to the other children in the school. Her persistent belief that her father will return is viewed as foolish by the two men but she continues to believe none the less. In reality, she may be the smartest of them all but she just does not fit into the mold created by Gradgrind that people should accept facts, and only facts. Unfortunately, she does not realize this and views herself the same way the men do. She says, “‘…what a stupid girl I am. All through school hours I make mistakes. Mr. and Mrs. McChoakumchild call me up, over and over again, regularly to make mistakes. I can’t help them. They seem to come naturally’”(55). The imagination that is possessed by Sissy is not approved of by Gradgrind but he still seems to enjoy her presence.
Although characterized as “dumb”, Sissy is a very enjoyable character. She is hardworking, and always looking to please other people around her. As a reader, I feel bad for Sissy because of the hardships that she has endured in her life and now her constant struggles in school. She desperately wants to live her life the way her father wanted her to live, which is a very admirable thing to do. She also is the reason that Louisa is finally able to show human emotions for the first time in the novel. Louisa had been the product of conditioning from her fact obsessed father and she is robotic in the way that she feels emotions (or doesn’t feel them for that matter). It is not until Sissy opens up to her that we finally see life within. As already mentioned, the scene where Sissy desperately is hoping for a letter from her father shows how Louisa is capable of being emotional. I believe that Sissy will continue to reform Louisa as the story continues and she will become less machine-like and more human.
Hannah Cassidy
Sissy Jupe is a very significant character in this novel. I agree with what Amanda said about how there is a "battle" between fact and fantasy in the story. Sissy clearly represents the fantasy side. Because she lacks knowledge of facts, she is considering dumb by Mr. Gradgrind and Mr. Bounderby. Mr. Gradgrind even says, "Girl number twenty possessed of no facts, in reference to one of the commonest of animals!" (4). However, like Amanda and others said, Sissy has a lot of street smarts. She's lived a difficult with her dad in the circus. And because of that she has life experience.
Sissy also pushes Louisa in a direction away from a life of all facts. She puts emotion into Louisa, which Mr. Gradgrind had tried to keep out of her. When telling Louisa about her father, Louisa gets filled with emotion. Sissy represents a more human person because she has emotion and imagination whereas Louisa and Tom are filled with facts and lack personality. They are that way because of the way they were brought up by Mr. Gradgrind. I think that as the novel progresses Sissy will continue to transform Louisa and Tom away from a life of facts.
Post a Comment